Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew Says he’s Open To Being Traded
By Josh Hill
After holding out for almost all of the preseason, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has said he’d be open to being traded according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This marks the height of the tension between the Pro Bowl running back and the Jaguars.
The request to be traded was made in light of comments made by Jaguars owner Shad Khan towards Jones-Drew where he said the train was leaving the station and Jones-Drew better get on. It’s apparent that Jones-Drew doesn’t want to get on said train unless it’s on his terms and that’s something the Jaguars are fighting back against.
In light of Jaguars owner Shad Khan's recent public remarks, Jacksonville's RB Maurice Jones-Drew is now open to being traded, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2012
It’s really a typical situation. A new owner comes to town — a hard lined owner as it seems — and he’s not going to begin his regime by being walked all over by the star player. Khan has shown he’s not going to be bullied, even if that means parting ways with the current face of the franchise.
As for Jones-Drew, he’s been an invisible contributor in the NFL, putting up Pro Bowl numbers, but not getting the superstar credit he deserves seeing as he plays for a rag-tag team of misfits that struggle to avoid blackouts on Sundays. He’s had injury scares in his career, even as recently as this time last year, but he followed those concerns from his critics up with a season that proved to be the best of any running back in the NFL.
Shad Khan isn’t letting Jones-Drew rain on his first year as an NFL owner. Kahn has already struck a deal with the NFL to play four home games in London and despite his commitment to keep the team in Jacksonville, the Jaguars are one of the likely teams to move to Los Angeles. That hasn’t been officially discussed, but the Jaguars have been kicked around discussions amongst pundits for quite some time.
The apex of this standoff may have been reached, and the outcome may be one that not a lot of people were expecting. Jones-Drew still has a few good years left, but the price the Jaguars want for him may ruin a potential deal. Jones-Drew has another year left on his contract, which is attractive to a team trying to acquire him, but the wheels may be starting to come off. Historically speaking, a player coming off a hold-out doesn’t usually perform at a high level — or at least the one expected.
No teams have made any offers and the Jaguars haven’t said if they indeed will comply with Jones-Drews request, but we may be seeing a conclusion to this mess soon. One that may be one of the more interesting twist endings to a running back hold out we’ve seen in a while.